Unfortunately, not all breeders are the same. Here you have to open your eyes and not buy out of compassion. Because you can quickly get to dubious “breeders” through Internet advertisements, who import the puppies from abroad illegally and mostly very ill, in order to sell them cheaply. Contact the animal protection and the official veterinarian and keep your hands off the dogs. Even if they are so sweet and poor, three new puppies will be produced for each bought puppy. The mother dog live in tiny kennels and are breeding machines for the rest of their lives, which are disposed of when they no longer have any strength. These are so-called multipliers of the puppy mafia, they are just here for the breed.
You should pay attention to these things, if you are at the breeder:
The puppies:
- Do the puppies look healthy (not too thin, no watery eyes, no diarrhea, fur not dirty or dull, not apathetic, no nasal discharge, no coughing, …)?
- You see the mother and siblings of the puppy. All animals from the breed.
- Deliveries from car boot, parking lot, train station or other public places are to be strictly rejected. With that you contribute to the fact that more and more puppies are produced.
- How are the puppies kept busy? Do they have sufficient environmental incentives and can try out different substrates? Are they integrated into everyday life? Do they get to know other dogs, children or pets? This is the only way they can start their new life well socialised, safe and self-confident with you. The more things the little ones get to know as harmless under the protection of their mother, the safer they will be when they grow up. Therefore the breeder should also show them how to drive, show them water and prepare them for life by getting to know different noises, backgrounds, visual impressions and smells.
- Do they get high quality puppy food to meet their energy needs during growth?
- Are the puppies curious and lively? (of course outside the sleeping hours)
- The puppies should get to know both the family life with all the noises in the household and the nature and different situations outside.
- Do the puppies get enough sleep and rest? (approx. 22 hours daily). Sleeping puppies should not be awakened, even if they look so cute.
The mother:
- How does the mother behave? (but also other animals in the household) react to your visit? If she is trustful, she stays calm, if she is relaxed, she comes to you curiously, …)
- Does she look healthy? (not too thin, no watery eyes, no diarrhea, fur not dirty or dull, not apathetic, no nasal discharge, no coughing, …)?
- Does she get enough high-quality food? Raising offspring naturally pulls at her strength (e.g. a Golden Retriever bitch produces up to 3 litres of milk a day, while a breastfeeding woman only produces about 750 ml). Therefore, the breeder must make sure that she does not get too thin and gets all the necessary nutrients and enough energy available.
- Does she have feelings of motherhood? Is she loving and cares for ALL puppies? Is she patient with them? Does she give enough milk?
- How was the birth process (were there any problems?)
The environment:
- Is the place clean and tidy? Nothing stays clean with small dogs for a long time, so you have to clean them daily, preferably with a steam cleaner, to avoid exposing them to chemicals in conventional cleaning products.
- Do the animals have enough fresh water?
- Does it smell heavily smoky? The sensitive dog nose perceives odours strongly, especially for puppies smoke can have health consequences.
The breeder:
- How many breeds are bred?
- You can visit the puppies and get to know them in peace. The chemistry between you and the puppy has to be right, so often several visits are necessary. If you are forced to buy the puppy during your first visit, go for it.
- If you are asked questions e.g. about the living situation, everyday life, etc., you can assume that there is passion behind breeding. Of course the breeder may earn something after invested time and money also, but the well-being of his animals should stand in the foreground.
- He will answer all your questions and take his time.
- Price: You don’t get a puppy from a serious breed between 600-1800€, everything that is clearly below that should make you suspicious. There is still a lot of air at the top, depending on the breed.
- Health certificates of the parents should also be shown to you.
- You will get a family tree.
- A vaccination pass from the breed with the necessary vaccinations, deworming and the chip number (cats do not have to be chipped by law, unless they are used for breeding, it is also useful for outdoor cats)will be given to you.
- You will receive a purchase contract which contains the breed, name, address, liability of the buyer and the purchase price.
- Ideally, you will get a blanket or similar to take home so that the puppy is the smell.
- The delivery of puppies is legally allowed for dogs not less than 8 weeks, for cats not less than 12 weeks.
- You are not allowed to get the dog puppies for less than 8 weeks, for cats not less than 12 weeks. That would be ilegall.
- For dogs it would not be advisable to hand over the puppies before the 10th to 12th week. Because during this time they still have many valuable experiences in a protected environment and learn social behavior from the mother and through their siblings. The puppy should be mentally and physically developed enough to start a new life without any problems. That an early delivery is better is already disproved! Through imitation the puppies learn a lot from their mother. If they can observe them at work, they will later have the ability to perform these activities more easily themselves.
- The attachment to a caregiver does not take place until the 12th – 14th week. If the puppy is torn too early from his environment, it can come later to separation fears and problems with that remain alone. Between the 8th and 12th week they are in the first phase of fear, all experiences they have here remain especially deeply anchored.
- You should visit your future family member again and again, so that the puppy already knows you when you pick him up.
All the best and much joy with your new family member.
